Teresa Chambers, the former U.S. Park Police chief who was removed in 2003 for voicing concerns about staffing shortages, could be back on the job next month after federal officials ordered her reinstatement, citing a lack of proper evidence, reports the Washington Post. Chambers was suspended and later fired after telling the paper in December 2003 that traffic accidents had increased along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway because two, instead of the recommended four, officers were on patrol. The police agency also lacked enough officers to protect national park land, Chambers said at the time, adding that unarmed guards protected some national monuments.
Citing weak evidence against her, the Merit Systems Protection Board ordered the Park Police Tuesday to reinstate Chambers within 20 days. She is also entitled to retroactive pay dating back to July 2004 and reimbursement for legal fees. The decision caps almost eight years of legal efforts by Chambers, who currently serves as chief of police in Riverdale, Md. She said she was stunned by the decision.
Link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2011/01/fired_park_police_reinstated.html